Leave

With a 5.1 I was not expecting too much. You imagine how shocked I was to see I movie I would give a nine rating. The more I thought about it the more I realized it was the dark nature of the subject matter. Many people don't like movies about real life, choosing escape instead. Or they prefer an assault on the senses. I know my wife would hate the movie, but then she watches "dance moms". No it doesn't have a lot of action or thrills but it caught me totally off guard and left me with some dark thoughts. I won't even begin to describe the movie. I couldn't without giving it away. You know what kind of person you are, and don't pay any attention to the rating number. I think it's a gem.

This is the kind of exploration that Ingmar Bergman and Terrence Malick (at his best) used to create.

It is a work of art, an absolute gem.

Every element of this film works seamlessly...to generate a flood of feelings and memories in the viewer.

Please be prepared: this beautiful movie may reach you on some deep levels. The way that ALL great art usually does.

Although those who strongly prefer solid action-driven drama will probably not like LEAVE, it is a quiet and subtle little film that unpretentiously raises questions about our notions of life, death, and reality. It's both well-acted and well-filmed, albeit draggy in places. I found myself repeatedly asking, "Huh? Where is all this supposed to be going?" Exercising a little patience, however, I found it all tied together, made sense, and "delivered" in the end.

Since mood and atmosphere are so important in a film of this type, I can see why some people belittle it for being touchy-feely. Nevertheless, LEAVE has a very strong (if not somewhat uneventful) storyline and is head and shoulders above the solipsistic fluff that we are often subjected to these days.

Just as a sign of how much this film moved me, this is my first review on IMDb after 3 years of not having much to add or say about countless other movies.

As other reviewers have written, it's tough to talk about "Leave" without spoiling it.

The best I can do is recommend you read the synopsis, perhaps watch the trailer and make up your own mind. Don't fall for the abysmal ratings on IMDb. You can leave and dismiss it as I almost did or stay and be surprised. Do what you want.

You have a choice. One minute into the film and I wasn't sure if this was for me. I chose to let go and enjoy the trip. Turns out this was just what I needed.

I'd describe it as a slow paced psychological thriller. It's a short movie and it's perfect as it is.

I can say I've watched this twice in a row and I'm still thinking about it. I cannot recommend this enough.

I think some people have been put off by narrow expectations.. Which I can understand and sympathise with to some extent. The beginning certainly gave the impression of something sinister afoot, and the mystery became alluring as the movie went on. But there is a point where he mentions something significant just after the half way mark, and it became clear to me that this was about something entirely different than what I was expecting.

Thankfully, for me at least, that didn't kill my interest. But it did lose momentum thereafter, and became more predictable. I would say that this is a commendable approach to a difficult subject. But there are better movies out there that deliver a similar treatment. If this was the first movie I had seen on the subject, I would definitely be giving it a higher mark.